Lost in the debate over segregated-fee misuses and student-organization eligibility is the question of why we are coerced to pay allocable segregated fees in the first place. Ever since the United States Supreme Court ruled in Southworth v. Board of Regents that the University of Wisconsin’s segregated fees were constitutional, the seg-fee debate has focused on viewpoint-neutrality and other issues related to the fair distribution of fees.
The court’s seal of approval has shifted the focus of the seg-fee debate, but still the question remains: What justification do ASM and the dean of students office have when they steal students’ money every semester without explicit consent?
Years ago, when ASM and the university’s administration were shaking in their boots with fear that their funding scheme was unconstitutional, seg-fee contingency plans were created. One of these plans was to allow students to opt out of the seg-fees system in its entirety by checking a box on the tuition bill.
It was presumed that if you didn’t pay to participate in the seg-fee pool, you wouldn’t be allowed to use services like the UW Greens Infoshop or WisPIRG, giving concerned students a reason to pay. This hypothetical plan had flaws, and no one really addressed how things would work with less controversial services like the bus-pass program and SAFEride.
After ASM and the university dodged the constitutional bullet, the plan was filed away in the archives. But why wait for another court decision to come down on what’s left of Southworth’s case before we start a dialogue to improve the university’s seg-fee system? No matter what the courts have to say about our seg fees, there is no reason we can’t strive to create a more just and equitable funding mechanism.
An opt-out system would have advantages for all parties involved. Most importantly, students who choose to play ball with seg fees would be free to do what they want without constant criticism, leaving a lot more ink in this newspaper for more entertaining news. ASM, SSFC and student groups could continue pretending they’re grownups in government without changing their policies and bylaws. ASM might even have an incentive to be fiscally responsible when it realizes that as fees escalate, fewer students will choose to participate.
In order to resurrect the opt-out discussion, we have included a coupon for you to have the allocable portion of your seg-fee bill refunded. If you are tired of the campus politics and student organizations’ lack of accountability on this campus, or if you just don’t support what these groups do with your money, then send this coupon and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Board of Regents.
Unfortunately, you probably won’t get anything of monetary value in return, but your protest will alert the authorities that you are tired of the old way of doing things, and you want your money back.
